Italy's ambassador to Russia, Pasquale Terracciano, denied claims he knew of an agreement earlier this week to produce the Sputnik V vaccine in Italy and had no role in the deal, he told Adnkronos on Wednesday.
"I did not know of the accord in advance and above all played no role whatsoever in it," Terraciano said.
Terraciano was referring to the agreement that Russia's Direct Investment Fund signed on Tuesday with Italian-Swiss pharmaceutical company Adienne for its Lombardy-based unit to produce the two-injection jab, according to the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce
Production at Adienne's factory first requires approval from local regulators, according to Italian officials. If the plan goes ahead, it will be the first such partnership inside the European Union, where the bloc's medical agency is reviewing Sputknik V for authorisation.
